Kate Constable's Blog

8th August

2011 (aged 44)
Minor victory - managed to get the girls to school before the bell rang. Can't understand why we are late every morning when we live literally over the fence. Alice was busy with some game, driving her wooden car through a minefield of mandarins. At least Evie was doing Mathletics on line.
2010 (aged 43)
Evie: When I grow up I want to have an animal shelter and help animals. But not be a vet because I don't want to cut them open.
Me: The primary colours are red, yellow and blue. Evie: But the Bell Primary colours are blue and white!
2006 (aged 39)
Evie: I go car. Go park? Hello, what's your name? Toast icecream butter? (this is Nutella) Evie's turn!
2003 (aged 36)
Alice: Look Mummy, wiggy worm. Alice gloves on. Aeroplane? Oh no, broken! Mama fix it? Alice turn. Wine, Alice wine? Book, Mummy read it.
2002 (aged 35)
P & L arrive to put the roof of the pergola on; K shows Alice the Masonic apron.
1999 (aged 32)
I'm ready to plunge into the whole house/marriage/baby thing right now, but M isn't sure... I trust us enough to make the leap, and I'm dismayed that he is hanging back. But then, I've always been about a year ahead of him...
1996 (aged 29)
an uncompromising slate-coloured sea
1994 (aged 27)
Reading "Women, Celibacy and Passion," evaluating my life and the decisions I've made... Not been celibate exactly because I've always been in love with someone, however unsuitable.
1991 (aged 24)
Reading "The Songlines" by Bruce Chatwin - an absolutely brilliant book on travelling and nomads and the nature of human restlessness. Thought "I am a nesting bird, this isn't for me" - but then, I'm here, aren't I?... Revelations on the bus from Dover to London - this isn't real life, real life is in Melbourne. Am I growing up? Is there more to life than angsting about love and sex all the time?
1990 (aged 23)
Dinner at D's tonight, WEA workers' night. I shouldn't be playing Mary Coughlan. They've been so long down lonely street they're never coming back... Am I ever coming back?
1989 (aged 22)
Reading "Cassandra" and thinking about madness. I need other people around me to stop me thinking about myself.
1987 (aged 20)
Well, I'm happy. Temporarily, no doubt, but happy!... Our TV set blew up at the cast party, which has led to some tension in the house. B has run away to avoid taking any action, much to L and G's crossness.
1986 (aged 19)
Brooding about B's unexpected seduction attempt... Do I love you? Yes, I love you. Will we always be happy-go-lucky? Do I love you? Yes, I love you. But it's easy come... and it's easy go... - The Blue Nile, "Tinseltown In the Rain"
1985 (aged 18)
Fell asleep in Philosophy. Politics was Graham Little on Bob Hawke - very interesting... Played pool till midnight, picked up L from Pancake Parlour, mildly groped by PB in the taxi. Went to PH's room but didn't have the heart to wake him, sat in his chair freezing cold reading "Will" by G. Gordon Liddy till 5-ish, wrote him a note and went back to bed.
1983 (aged 16)
To do in the holidays: redecorate tabletop
See Chariots of Fire (again); Reds (if  it's still on; unlikely); The Heat and The Dust
Write two bits of saga
Have hair cut
Write up Pliny letter
Read Book xii Aeneid
1979 (aged 12)
Look up lemmings
1978 (aged 11)
We had to find the names of football players on a grid. We ran around the school once the rain let up. We did word sums. For example - chest + nut = chestnut. Rather silly, really. L and I are going to do a play.
1977 (aged 10)
We went over to the school this morning. Everyone looks so different! We made a little house under the bush, and when it rained, we didn't get wet. Read a lot.
1976 (aged 9)
Winnie had her operation. Poor dog! We gave Jasper the puppy away. I'm sad.